Vintage Needles

Short post I just want to share with you my geeky collection of vintage needles.  I do have more but this was all I could find to photograph this morning.

Arent they pretty :)

Considering the cost of inflation I dont think we've done too bad on the price of needles.

I had one of those weekends where you end up over indulging because the sun was out, thats my excuse anyway.  On Saturday morning after dropping my work off at Baytree Flowers I popped in to town and came across a new flea market, happy days. There was a lovely old dear selling vintage jewellery, I bought a gorgeous brooch & scarf ring for £4 each.  I also came across an old axe & tool box type thing,  I gave the axe a miss but snapped up the tool box its good quality, heavy and worth £2 of anyones money.

Tool box, I havent got a clue what I'm going to do with it yet.

Brooch / Scarf Ring

I arrived home to be greeted by a delivery from the postman from Flossie Lime Juice. We both make stuffed mice and last week at Saltaire Arts Trail we had a little swap!

Mr & Mrs Mouse, so adorable!

Moving on to Sunday I went to the Art Market I bought a fantastic ceramic bowl by Creatively Occupied.  There was time to nip in an antiques shop where I bought a great old box then it was time for afternoon tea at The Wrinkled Stocking.  I then popped over to Hebden bridge to visit the WI Rag Market.  On the way home I even had time to stop off at an ice cream van sat on the top of the Moors, it was freeeeezing up there!

This old box was a fiver in the antiques shop and the lady let me have the old tin Cig box for 50p.

My lovely bowl designed and hand made by Creatively Occupied.

Afternoon Tea :)

Rag market finds, 5 old cottons reels for £4, the worn old tape measure was 20p & the vintage wooden darner was £3.50.

Ok remember yesterday when I shared my first ever textile picture? I thought I would show you how my work is coming along 10 years later, that makes me feel really old!

I will also share the processes behind them, looking at photos I'm often left guessing how things are made.  I've even come across one artist not willing to share how their work was made. I find that a bit silly myself as customers want to know what their buying.

Detail of 'British Industry'
Hand & machine embroidery, parts of it include hand dyed fabric & hand dyed threads.

Textile Town
Handmade paper painted with fabric dyes before adding machine embroidery.

Kenneth 
Mixed media, including calico, wool, toy stuffing & a Daily Herald Newspaper dated 1950.

A Motherly Hand

Mixed media, including calico, wool, sandpaper & a magazine dated Sept 1950. Want to know how I eye dark bit on the ears & nose? while still wet from the dye I pop them in the oven for a little while.

Little Red Ridding Hood
This little mouse knitted her own hood with cocktail sticks,isn't she clever!
Mixed media, including calico, wool & a Daily Herald Newspaper dated 1950. I make the eyes and buttons from fimo.

Hello all and welcome to my first blog!

I’ve thought about it for a long time but kept putting it off thinking if I struggle to juggle my work, website & facebook account how on earth would I find the time for a blog?  Like most things you just have to find the it.  I have a website & I use facebook as my main outlet & networking tool but I keep coming across outstanding work from people who don’t even have a facebook account so I reckon there must be something in this blogging lark. 

I should start with the basics and tell you a little about my background.  My name is Joanne Walker I’m 30, no kiddywinks but I do have a cat that I call my special little boy does that count?  Art was my favourite subject and I’ve always had a fondness for the built environment so after school I went straight into GNVQ in Construction and the Built environment, with the idea of being an architect.  I was the only girl on the course and got tired of lads sat behind me dropping things on the floor just so I’d bend down while they copped an eye full.  I got distinctions on my architectural drawings and passes on my written work. Even though I did love the drawing side it was minimal and creatively constricting so after a year I transferred to another part of the college and started a GNVQ in Art and Design.  I can confirm I stuck with this and passed with flying colours. 

But what next? I turned to my teachers for advice who told my my style would be suited to textiles, would it? I made a pigs ear of a cushion I made at school.  I really didn’t have a clue so with their direction I applied for a degree in surface design.  That lasted all of 3 months, designing curtains and bed linen was just not for me.  This was confirmed on a Uni trip to Chelsea craft fair, I believe they call it Origin nowa days.  I suppose I could say that day trip changed my life.  It was on a Friday, I had a look around saw Janet Bolton and Julia Arkell and had a eureka moment! The following Monday I handed in my Uni notice so to speak and off I trotted. 

I didn’t finish there though! I seeked out the perfect course for me a HND in Textiles.  It gave me the practical knowledge with creative free reign.  I also took a part time evening course in soft furnishings but I don’t want to bore you anymore, thanks for reading.  I will leave you with my first ever textile picture......